Farmington OKs Fire Training Agreement With Avon

The Farmington council approved entering into a fire training facility agreement with Avon

FARMINGTON — The town council has agreed to enter into an agreement with Avon for the joint operation of a new fire training facility.

"We are confident this contract will move forward and we are very pleased to have that happen," council Chairwoman Nancy Nickerson said. "Avon and Farmington will be great partners."

Nickerson said no changes were made to the contract and the council is "in sync" with the Avon Town Council, which approved the agreement on Feb. 5.

The council had voted to postpone entering into the agreement Feb. 10 because some council members had concerns with the proposed governing board, which was to be made up of the two town managers. Council member Jeffrey Apuzzo had said he was concerned that a governing board made up of two people could be stymied if the two members were locked in some dispute. The the arrangement was ultimately accepted by the council.

The new training facility would allow for fires to be set inside so firefighters can practice their procedures. The facility will be at 39 Round Hill Road in Farmington. Firefighters now train at a facility in Windsor Locks.

Under the proposed agreement, the land will remain the property of Farmington, but both towns would have an equal share in the facility and share the operating costs. The two fire departments have been working to raise $1 million for the facility.

In other business Monday, the council also voted to override a negative vote by the planning and zoning commission on a proposal to purchase land on Walnut Farms Drive for open space and then swap part of the parcel for land owned by a local homeowners' association.

In a 5-1 decision on March 9, the planning commission voted against buying the $275,000 property at 8993 Walnut Farms Drive. The property contains an 8,618-square-foot encroachment by the Walnut Farms Village Association Recreation Area, which the town plans to swap with the association for a 30-foot-wide parcel on the western edge of the association's land.

The 30-foot-wide parcel the association will give to the town would allow access to another town-owned open space parcel next to the recreation area.

"The planning and zoning commission does their job and that's respected," Nickerson said. "The council felt that in our role, it was something we wanted to move forward with."

Some commissioners said they had reservations about the purchase because the parcel is not included in the Plan of Conservation and Development, according to meeting minutes. Others said the parcel is "a meadow with no scenic, topographic, conservation or wilderness value" and the town's existing open space could already be accessed from the neighborhood, according to the minutes.

Assistant Town Planner Elizabeth Dolphin said to override the planning and zoning commission, the council had to have a two-thirds majority vote. She said the council voted 5-2 to override the commission's vote.

Now, the purchase needs the approval of the Walnut Farms Village Association, Dolphin said. The homeowners are expected to vote on May 3, she said.